Pot Roast

MEAT. You can do this in a slow cooker or in a dutch oven (if using the latter method leave it in the oven with the lid on for several hours at 250° – 300° F)

• Chuck roast piece
• Veggies! (I used fresh brussels sprouts and carrots)
• Diced onions
• 1- 2 cups red or white wine (red is better)
• Worcestershire sauce (to taste)
• Minced garlic
• Black pepper, cayenne, more garlic, more onions, etc. – whatever works

I do a little trick to keep flavor in my pot roast. First, I sear the meat on all sides on high heat in a cast iron pan, making certain that meat is getting to the sticky point. Then in the same pan with the sucs pour in the diced onions and quickly deglaze the pan with a splash of wine. The onions will soak up the flavor if you do this.

Spray the slow cooker interior with a non-stick spray (just good practice). Line the bottom with the onions and plop the meat on top. Arrange the veggies on the sides of the meat. Pour in the wine, worcestershire sauce, garlic, and other dried spices around the veggies. Leave in the slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours, turning the meat occasionally to ensure even cooking/melting of the sinews (sounds gross but oh-so-tasty). You may also need to shuffle the veggies around so that they can get adequate time in the sauce bath.

South in Yo’ Mouth

Using up frozen Christmas ham and cheap curly mustard greens. Too easy to not try. Matt hates greens and he ate half of the contents of  the slow cooker!

• 1 big ole’ bag o’ greens (pre-washed/cut – I buy mine on closeout because why waste good food? Everyone knows that expiration dates are mostly crap anyway)
• Bunch o’ leftover ham/bacon/something porky
• Diced onions
• Minced gaaric
• 1 can of rinsed and drained pinto/great northern/cannellini beans
• Black pepper and generous hot sauce

Plop everything (NOT the beans) in the slow cooker and heat on low for a few hours. Pour the precooked beans in and serve within 2 hours. So good!

Matt’s portion on top of his friend Scott’s whole wheat sourdough bread!

 

*The misspellings in this post are intentional. Have a sense of humor people.

Gobi Matar and Spicy Mustard Vinaigrette

Gobi Matar

• Trader Joe’s Curry Simmer Sauce
• Seitan
• Frozen cauliflower
• Frozen peas
• 1-2 sliced carrots – not typically in Gobi Matar
• Minced onions
• Minced garlic
• Black pepper, cayenne, maybe an extra dash of curry powder
• Dash olive oil

Olive oil, onions, garlic, and dried spices sautéed until mostly translucent (onions first to avoid burning the rest). Add frozen vegetables and cook until unfrozen. Add the simmer sauce and seitan and simmer on low heat for 5-10 minutes.

Spicy Mustard Vinaigrette

• Apple cider vinegar
• Yellow mustard
• Spicy hot chinese mustard
• Honey
• Minced garlic
• Black pepper and salt

Whisk to combine.

Sweet Brioche

French egg bread!

Matt ate three of these – they were bun sized rolls…. I think he liked them!

Like I said – not great at making baked goods look pretty. Tastes great though!

• 2 cups flour (you may need more when shaping)
• 1 little packet of yeast
• Sprinkling salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 stick butter, cold and diced
• 1 egg + 1 yolk
• 1/4 cup milk (or sweetened coffee creamer – like I did here, it made it super tasty)
• 1/7 cup water
• 1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp milk/creamer

Mix together dry ingredients. Cut in the butter cubes and egg + yolk – I use my hands for this. Once the mixture makes little clumps when you press it together with your fingers and all of the butter chunks have been worked out, add the milk and water and work the dough until it is smoothish. The dough will be sticky!! Next, I rolled the dough out on a nonstick surface and divided it into eighths. I made these into balls but a loaf would be splendid here (baking time would be longer). Let this rise for 3ish hours – covered.

Now, once the dough balls are about doubled in size, deflate them, reshape them, and then let them rise for another 1.5 hours on a prepared baking sheet.

When time is up preheat the oven to 380° F on convection (or 400° F on bake). Whisk the extra egg yolk with the milk/creamer and brush over the buns. I sprinkled cinnamon on one of them to try it and it tasted like a dessert – but leave them plain if you want to use them for other purposes. Pop the buns in the oven for 14-15 minutes. For a loaf it would be more like 25 minutes. Eat immediately and experience tummy ecstasy.

Split Pea Soup

I use the slow cooker for this. It turns out better when you actually have a ham bone but… the frozen leftover pieces I have sitting in my freezer should work 😉

The number of soup recipes I have made makes it quite clear that we are obsessed with soups…

• 16 oz. package of split peas, washed
• Ham (bone is best here), any amount your carnivorous heart desires – the kind I have is salty so I didn’t add any salt/stock
• 3-4 large carrots, cleaned and diced
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 yellow or white onion, diced
• Black pepper, bay leaf, marjoram, oregano, cayenne pepper
• 4-6 cups water
• Half-and-half, milk, cream, sour cream, whatever for serving

Starting the slow cooker!

Place the ingredients (not the cream!) in the slow cooker in the order given. Heat on low for 6-8 hours, stirring every once in a while and checking the water level. When the peas are softened spoon the meat/bone out (or not), throw away the bay leaves, and blend the mixture until smooth. Because this was made in a slow cooker I was able to “pull” the ham. Add the meat back (or not) and top with cream and serve!

We prefer our split pea soup to have a few peas/carrots still whole!

Sautéed Green Apples and Leeks (with Sage Pork Chops!)

Skyrim inspired. Geeking out in the kitchen.

Sautéed Green Apples and Leeks

From: thewholepictureso.wordpress.com

• 1-2 leeks, cleaned and sliced (I use about half of the greens – they are incredibly fragrant but can taste very strong)
• 1-2 granny smith apples, cored and sliced thinly (leave the skin on!!)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Dried sage, cinnamon, black pepper, and salt (to taste)
• Shot of brandy (optional)

Pour olive oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté until 75% tender. Add the sliced apples and dried spices. Continue to sauté until apples are tender, adding the shot of brandy about a minute before you plan on turning off the burner.

Skillet Sage Pork Chops

• Pork chops
• High heat cooking oil – vegetable oil works
• Dried sage, black pepper, and salt

Cast iron is best for skillet pork chops because it keeps its heat and deglazes well.

Cover both sides of the pork chops with the spice mixture. Heat skillet to medium high temperature then add the cooking oil. Gently place the pork chop(s) on the pan and sear each side making certain that the meat gets to the “sticky point” in the pan. Once both sides are seared turn off the burner and let the meat rest on the pan  as it will retain heat and continue to cook the chops! Brandy can also be used to deglaze the pan here and make a unique pan sauce.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Matt loves it!

• 24 oz. package of mushrooms, diced
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• Minced garlic (not too much this time)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Dried thyme, black pepper, and cayenne
• Reduced Sodium Better Than Boullion – Chicken plus 1.5 cups water or just 1.5 cups chicken stock
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3-4 tbsp flour
• Fat free half-and-half to consistency (at least 1/2 cup)
• 1 shot brandy

Olive oil, onions, garlic, and dried spices  sautéed until mostly translucent (onions first to avoid burning the rest). Add mushrooms and chicken stock and simmer until softened. Blend this mixture until “chunky” pour half of the mixture back into the pot and blend the other half until it is smooth and creamy.

Melt the butter in a saucepan (I make chicken breast tenderloins to go with this and save the juices for the roux – we dip the chicken in the soup). Whisk in flour until smooth to make the roux. Turn off the burner and whisk in the half-and-half and stir until smooth. Combine with the mushroom mixture, pour in the brandy, and heat slowly until at desired temperature!

Turkey Burgers

• 20 oz. package of ground turkey
• 1-2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sorghum flour (or bread crumbs – whatever)
• Dried onions
• Minced garlic
• Black pepper, salt, and cayenne
• (To make this “italian” add italian spice blend and a bit of tomato paste!)

Combine in bowl and cook patties in oiled skillet (indent the center slightly with your thumb for even cooking) until fully cooked.

Takes all of 15 minutes but is wonderful in a pinch!

Roast Rib Rack – Pork

Had to use the alliteration. Sorry.

Pork Rib Rack Roast

• Big honkin’ pork rib rack
• Onions
• Veggies (brussel sprouts, mushrooms, carrots, etc. would do well)
• Minced garlic – all of it 😉
• Rosemary, sage, black pepper, salt

Make a long slit down the fatty side of the roast – just below the fat layer. Stuff this pocket with seasonings and let rest at room temperature for up to an hour (don’t want to put this bone cold into the oven). Preheat oven to 325° F. Spread the onions on the bottom of an oiled roasting pan. Place the rack, bone side down, on top of the onions and spread the veggies out on the sides. Season the whole lot and spray down with some oil to prevent burning. Place in oven for 30 minutes. Now, flip the roast to bone side up and roast for another 30 minutes. Stir the veggies as needed and after the 60 minutes is up turn the oven up to 400 and roast for another 15-20 minutes (size matters here).

 

Let this rest for a few minutes after you remove it from the oven to allow the juices to spread out!

Much noms. Many happy tummies. Wow,

 

Curried Carrot Lentil Soup

Fast and healthy. It has a beautiful color (that my phone fails to do justice)!

Heavy in the stomach but easy on the thighs.

• 2 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and diced
• 3/4 to 1 cup red split lentils
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1/4 cup minced celery
• Minced garlic
• Cumin, curry blend, black pepper, cayenne, salt ( we like ours spicy)
• Chicken stock (to consistency – I use homemade which has a layer of fat that I use for the sautéeing)
• Sour cream/milk/half-and-half (to taste)

Sauté onions and celery in the stock fat for 3 minutes. Add carrots and garlic and sauté for another two minutes. Pour in the rest of the stock, seasonings, and lentils. Let slowly simmer for 25 minutes until the lentils are completely softened. Mix in blender until very smooth. Top off with a bit of sour cream/milk/half-and-half as desired. So yummy!